HF Advisory Group LLC Grows Position in Diageo plc $DEO

Key Points

• HF Advisory Group LLC increased its stake in Diageo by 896.1% in Q4, adding 87,946 shares to hold 97,760 shares worth about $8.43 million.
• Several other large institutions also materially boosted positions — notably The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company, which added 1,566,013 shares to hold 1,568,162 shares (~$158.13 million) — with institutional investors owning roughly 8.97% of the stock.
• Diageo declared a dividend of $0.80 per share (ex-dividend/record date: April 17, payable June 4), and analysts' consensus is a Hold rating with an average price target of $116.50.

HF Advisory Group LLC grew its stake in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO - Free Report) by 896.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 97,760 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 87,946 shares during the quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC's holdings in Diageo were worth $8,434,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in Diageo by 72,871.7% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,568,162 shares of the company's stock valued at $158,133,000 after purchasing an additional 1,566,013 shares during the last quarter. Equity Investment Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Diageo during the third quarter worth about $92,970,000. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd raised its position in shares of Diageo by 236.6% in the second quarter. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd now owns 1,157,991 shares of the company's stock valued at $116,772,000 after buying an additional 813,973 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its stake in shares of Diageo by 353.7% during the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 717,740 shares of the company's stock valued at $72,377,000 after buying an additional 559,547 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Diageo by 48.5% during the third quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 1,701,878 shares of the company's stock valued at $162,410,000 after buying an additional 555,509 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 8.97% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on DEO shares. Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Diageo in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $124.00 target price on Diageo and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Argus raised Diageo to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d)" rating on shares of Diageo in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded shares of Diageo from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $116.50.

Diageo Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE DEO opened at $74.69 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 1.60 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $86.79 and a 200-day moving average of $90.23. Diageo plc has a 52-week low of $72.45 and a 52-week high of $116.69.

Diageo Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.80 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 17th. This represents a yield of 207.0%.

About Diageo

Diageo plc is a global producer, marketer and distributor of alcoholic beverages, headquartered in London, England. The company was created through the 1997 merger of Guinness plc and Grand Metropolitan plc and is publicly traded on multiple exchanges, including the New York Stock Exchange NYSE: DEO and the London Stock Exchange. Diageo operates a worldwide business, selling products in a broad range of markets across the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Diageo's core activities cover the production, marketing and sale of a diverse portfolio of spirits, beer and liqueurs.

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